Extension car-step.



I. C. PARROTT. EXTENSION CAR STEP.

APPL|CAT |ON FILED APR. 11, 19M. 13.63 106. Patented Dec.7,1915.

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l. C. PARROTT.

EXTENSION CAR STEP.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 11, wry

1,163,106, Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

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HHHHHHHH UNETD STATES PA EXTENSION OAR-STEP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

Application filed April 11, 1914. Serial No. 831,346.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC C. PARROTT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Asheville, in the county of Buncombe and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Extension Car-Steps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to extension car steps, and is more particularly concerned in the provision of a step of this type to railway vehicles previously provided with a set of fixed steps.

As a principal object, this invention con.- teinplates the provision of an extension car step for vehicles of the type described which may be swung into operative position to form an extra step in the flight between the car platform and the ground thus obviating the necessity of using a stool or the like when the passengers are entering or departing from the car.

An object of equal importance is to provide an extensible step which when swung into inoperative position will cover the lowermost step of the fixed flight in such man nor as to form the top of that step when it is not desired to extend the movable step into itsown operative position.

A further object of this invention is to provide lever means for operating the step, which means shall be so connected to the usual trap door of vestibuled railway cars as to move the extension step into its operative position upon a raising of such trap door and to reverse the step movement upon closing of the door. 1

A still further object and one of a more specific nature is to provide side plates seourable to the sides of the fixed step for mounting the pivot shaft of the extension stop, such side plates being integrally formed with stop ears adapted to limit outward movement of the step when reaching its correct operative position.

The above and additional objects which will become apparent as this explanatory description proceeds, are accomplished by such means as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, described in the following specification and then more particularly pointed out in the claims which are appended hereto and form a part of this application.

'With refer nce to the drawings, wherein i there is illustrated the preferred embodiment of this invention as it is reduced to practice and throughout the several views of which like characters of reference designate similar parts: Figure 1 is a side elevation of one end of a railway car fitted with the extension step of the present invention, ,showing the latter in closed position. Fig. 2 is a view similar to F 1, but illustrating the step in its extended osition for the entrance or departure of passengers. Fig. 3 is a sectional view looking, at the actuating mechanism for the step from the interior of the car. Fig. at is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the step extended, and Fig. 5 is a transverse. sectional view through the step and car platform of Figs. 1 and 3.

There is illustrated one end of a railway car A which is provided with a door opening 10 leading into the car platform 11. A

door 12 is mounted in the hinged manner de-- noted by the numerals 13 within the doorway 10 and permits or interrupts communication between the platform 11 and the customary stairs leading therefrom as denoted by the numeral 14. Immediately above the steps 14, the platform 11 is cut away as shown at 15 to permit of the passage of persons using the steps, although this cut away portion of the platform is usually blockedoif when the door 12 is closed by means of-t-h'e trap door 16 which is hinged as at 17 to a convenient portion of the car platform and which is adapted to rest within a mortise 18 formed along the outer edge of the said platform in being supported thereby. handle ring 19 or similar member is customarily provided to enable operators of the car to raise or lower the trap 16.

The foregoing is of the usual construction and forms no feature of the present invention aside from the combinational value of the trap door as an actuator for the extension step mechanism. It should be noted that the bottom edge of the door 12 is provided with a brace 20 which is adapted to abut the edge of the trap door When the latter is in its closed position and thus prevent any opening of the door 12. Upon a perusal of Fig. 4, it will be apparent that when the trap is raised the door may be swung inwardly by the entrance of this brace 20 into one portion of the three-sided mortise 18.

A manuallyoperable tension step may have either of its sides act- The steps of the present invention com-' secured by any desirable fasteners to the respective sides 22 of the car steps 14:. Each of the side plates terminates in a rounded bearing portion 23 wherein is supported a pivot shaft 24: about which the extension step of the present invention is adapted to rotate. It should be noted that the shaft 24 is placed just outside of the vertical edge of the lowermost car step. The reason for this will appear later. From each extremity of the pivoting shaft 24: there extends the vertical hanger 25 which is substantially L- shaped as will be apparent upon reference tothe drawings, such hangers supporting the extension step 26 of this invention, in the manner best illustrated in Figs. 1 and 5 where it will be seen that the extremities of these hangers are connected by a plate 27 which is secured to the back edge 'of the extension step 26 and projects thereabove.

The step 26 is of substantially the same width as the fixed car steps but is somewhat shorter in length in order to readily fit between the side boards 22 of the latter, when in its inoperative position of being folded back upon the lowermost step. The heights of the hangers 25 determine the rise of the step and these latter are vertical in either position of the step 26. Ears 2 are struck outwardly from the lower portion of each of the auxiliary side plates 21 to project into the paths of revolution of the hangers 25 and to check them' when the step 26 is extended as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The step 26 is preferably provided with a rubber surface upon each of its tread surfaces, similar to the facing with which each of the car steps 14: is equipped, as'the exing as the tread portion.

The actuating means for the extension step include a lever portion 29 which is formed as a continuation of one of the hangers 25, such portion projecting through the pivot shaft 24 and being then bent upwardly to parallel the hanger proper, the extremity of this lever portion being ofiset. at right angles in order to provide a point of attachmaintained in connection with the lever poris connected the link'35, the opposite endtion 29 by some such means as the nut 31. The. link 30 connects the mentioned lever portion with one extremity of the rotatable actuating lever which is intermediately pivoted as denoted at 33 to the extremity of the car, the link 30 extending through a suitable slot 34: formed vertically in the platform 11 in the rear of the trap hinge 17.

To the opposite extremity of the lever 32 of which is received within an eye 36 fastened to the trap-door 16 in order that a raising of the trap door will rotate the lever for operating 32 of Fig. 5 in a clockwise direction. It should be noted that the lever 35 is of an angular shape being provided with a substantially vertical portion 37 adjacent its, point of connection to the lever 42 in order to prevent a binding action on the part bf this link when the door 16 is raised. As illustrated it will be apparent that the upper extremity of the step operating link 30 is removably connected to the lever 32 and may be readily disconnected therefrom when it is a not desired that the step 26 be swung into operative position upon a aising of the trap 16. i I

From the foregoing detailed description, it is thought that the operation of the present extension car step should be obvious.

With the parts in the position illustrated in Figs. 3 or 5 it will be apparent that a raising of the trap 16 by an attendant will rotate the lever 32 in a clockwise direction which will exert a downward push through the link 30 upon the lever portion 29 which will, accordingly, rotate such lever portion and the hanger through thearc of 180 necessary to swing the step 26 into its operative position where it will be limited by the ears 28. It will be apparent that the step will be in operative position before the door 12 can be opened and it is to be remembered that the trap 16 is preferably operated by a spring in the same manner as those now in use. The pivot rod 24 being provided in the side plates 21 at the point described permits the weight of the step 26 to exert a leverage when the step is near one of its limits of movement which assures the step of being correctly deposited in either of its positions. For instance, lost motion existing between the various lever connections the step might easily prevent the latter frombeing deposited directly upon the lowermost car step 14: if it were not that the offset weight of the step is capable of affording this final movement and equally capable of straightening'out the step in its operative position. It is customary for the fixed steps of a car not to project beyond the line of the car body so that the dis placement of the-car may be readily calculated for tunnels and station platforms of the type raised to the level of the car platform and it will be noticed that the step of this invention does not project materially beyond the line of the car body and could not possibly be extended when the train is in motion thus obviating any danger of destroying the steps by contact with a tunnel wall or a station platform. If the train has main unmoved by actuationwof- .the ..trap door:

, outwardly therefrom, hangers connected to- While there have been illustrated-in the drawings and described in the specification such combination and arrangement of elements as constitute the preferred embodiment of this invention, it is desired to emphasize the fact that such minor changes in the matters'of proportion and degree may be made in later adaptations of this device as shall not alter the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

hat is claimed is: a 1. An extension car step including side plates adapted to be secured to the respective sides of the fixed steps of a car, a pivsting shaft mounted in said side plates below the lowermost of said fixed steps and said shaft, a step supported solely between said hangers, and integral ears struck'out- Wardly from each of said plates to form stop lugs to engage saidhangers when said shaft has rotated said step into its operative position. v

2. In combination with the trap door and fixed steps of a railway vehicle, side plates secured to the respective sides of said steps, a pivot shaft supported in said side plates, hangers carried at the extremities of said. shaft and limited at positions, a rota-table lever secured to said vehicle, a lever portion carried at one extremity of said pivot shaft, crossed link connections between said rotatable lever and said lever portion and between the opposite extremity of said lever and said trap door, and a step supported by said hanger to'be operated by said trap door.

Isaac c. PARROTII. 4 Witnesses G. Fon'rUNn, F. N. WADDELL.

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